Written Answers Friday 6 October 2006

Scottish Executive

Age Participation Index

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what factors have caused the fall in the Age Participation Index since 2001-02.

Nicol Stephen: The fall in the Age Participation Index is likely to have been influenced by a number of factors. The Executive intends to engage with the Scottish Funding Council and with colleges and universities to discuss the issue in detail and will take appropriate action in light of these discussions.

Careers Scotland

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many responses it has received to its consultation on the future position of Careers Scotland.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive has received 144 responses to its consultation on the future position of Careers Scotland.

Concessionary Travel

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Healthlink service bus link between West Lothian and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh will be registered under the Executive’s concessionary travel scheme so that pensioners can travel free for appointments and to visit relatives in hospital.

Tavish Scott: Although the Healthlink service bus link runs two daily trips between West Lothian and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, passengers must pre-book before travelling or the service will not run. It is not an eligible service under the terms of the Scotland-wide free bus travel scheme for older and disabled people and we have no plans to include non-registered services in the scheme.

  While concessionary cardholders are therefore not entitled to free travel on the service, they are eligible for a reduced return fare, which is currently £2.

Concessionary Travel

Ms Maureen Watt (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to extend the National Entitlement Card scheme to enable there to be free concessionary travel by national rail transport.

Tavish Scott: We have no plans to extend the Scotland-wide free bus travel scheme for older and disabled people in the way suggested.

Digital Technology

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive which communities in Tayside will not be broadband-enabled by the end of 2006.

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in providing access to broadband for people in remote locations.

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish proposals to extend broadband access to people in remote locations that cannot receive broadband through existing exchanges.

Nicol Stephen: We have already delivered access to every Scottish community, as defined using census output areas. This was achieved through our £16.5 million Broadband for Scotland’s rural and remote areas project.

  However, we recognise that there are still some households or businesses who remain without access. The Executive is working with independent technical consultants to examine this issue as well as the viability of potential solutions. This work will complete later this year and appropriate action will be outlined thereafter.

Digital Technology

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has invested to provide broadband connectivity in Tayside.

Nicol Stephen: The Executive has invested £16.5 million (including support from the European Regional Development Fund) implementing a Scotland-wide project which has delivered broadband access to every Scottish community. A separate figure for broadband investment under this project in Tayside is not available, but investment in the East of Scotland amounts to £2.7 million.

Economy

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the local economic output of Dundee has been in each of the last three years for which figures are available and what the percentage annual changes have been.

Nicol Stephen: Gross Value Added (GVA) is the preferred measure of economic activity within an area. GVA data for local areas are published by the Office for National Statistics, however, figures for the City of Dundee and Angus are not available separately.

  Gross Value Added (GVA) at Current Basic Prices (£ Millions), 2001-03

  

 
 2001
 2002
 2003


 Angus and Dundee City
 3,081
 3,258
 3,461


 Annual % Change
 2.3%
 5.7%
 6.2%



  Source: Office for National Statistics.

  It is important to note that the annual percentage changes presented above should not be taken as an indicator of economic growth in the area as they have not been adjusted for inflation.

Economy

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many VAT registered businesses there have been in (a) Dundee and (b) Angus in each of the last three years for which figures are available, broken down by sector.

Nicol Stephen: Data on the number of VAT registered enterprises are released annually by the Small Business Service, an agency of the Department of Trade and Industry. A breakdown by sector is only available at a UK-level.

  Start of Year Stock of VAT Registered Enterprises, 2003-05

  

Local Authority Area
2003
2004
2005


Dundee City
2,345
2,360
2,360


Angus
2,905
2,895
2,895



  Source: Small Business Service, DTI.

  Please note that these figures do not account for all business activity as only companies with a turnover above the VAT threshold are required to register. The VAT threshold is increased each year. It was £48,000 in 1997 increasing to £58,000 in 2004.

Economy

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many retail shop closures there have been in the Scottish Borders in each year since 1999 and what the estimated year-on-year economic losses have been to local communities as a result of these closures.

Nicol Stephen: Figures are not available at the detail required to answer this question.

  Data on the number of VAT de-registrations are released annually by the Small Business Service, an agency of the Department of Trade and Industry. These figures are used to monitor the number of business closures, but do not go down to retail shop-level.

Economy

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many economic task forces it has established in each year since 1999.

Nicol Stephen: There is no central definition or list of "task forces". A wide range of activity has been undertaken since 1999 to support our commitment to grow the Scottish economy.

Economy

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been paid by Scottish Enterprise Borders and its predecessor organisations directly to local firms in each year since 1999.

Nicol Stephen: This information is not held centrally as it is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise.

Economy

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many retail shop closures there have been in East Lothian in each year since 1999 and what the estimated year-on-year economic losses have been to local communities as a result of these closures.

Nicol Stephen: Figures are not available at the detail required to answer this question.

  Data on the number of VAT de-registrations are released annually by the Small Business Service, an agency of the Department of Trade and Industry. These figures are used to monitor the number of business closures, but do not go down to retail shop-level.

Economy

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total amount of inward investment has been in (a) the Scottish Borders and (b) each local authority area in each year since 1996, expressed also on a per capita basis.

Nicol Stephen: Details of inward investment projects assisted by Scottish Development International and its predecessors are supplied in the following table. The Scottish Executive does not keep a record of inward investment on a per capita basis.

  January 1996 to March 1996

  

Council
Number of Projects
Investment 
(£ Million)
New Jobs
Safeguarded Jobs
Total Jobs


Aberdeenshire
0
0
0
0
0


Aberdeen City
0
0
0
0
0


Angus
0
0
0
0
0


Argyll and Bute
0
0
0
0
0


Clackmannanshire
0
0
0
0
0


Dumfries and Galloway
2
60.541
58
13
71


Dundee City
2
5.975
88
0
88


East Ayrshire
4
3.056
144
62
206


East Dunbartonshire
0
0
0
0
0


East Lothian
0
0
0
0
0


East Renfrewshire
0
0
0
0
0


Edinburgh City
0
0
0
0
0


 Eilean Siar, Comhairle nan
0
0
0
0
0


Falkirk
2
14.360
110
30
140


Fife
0
0
0
0
0


Glasgow City
3
11.881
188
107
295


Highland
0
0
0
0
0


Inverclyde
1
0.910
20
0
20


Midlothian
0
0
0
0
0


Moray
0
0
0
0
0


North Ayrshire
0
0
0
0
0


North Lanarkshire
0
0
0
0
0


Orkney Islands
0
0
0
0
0


Perth and Kinross
0
0
0
0
0


Renfrewshire
0
0
0
0
0


Scottish Borders
0
0
0
0
0


Shetland Islands
0
0
0
0
0


South Ayrshire
0
0
0
0
0


South Lanarkshire
2
11.108
122
0
122


Stirling
0
0
0
0
0


West Dunbartonshire
0
0
0
0
0


West Lothian
3
18.665
143
127
270


Totals
19
126.496
873
339
1,212



  April 1996 to March 1997

  

Council
Number of Projects
Investment 
(£ Million)
New Jobs
Safeguarded Jobs
Total Jobs


Aberdeenshire
0
0
0
0
0


Aberdeen City
1
0.300
15
0
15


Angus
0
0
0
0
0


Argyll and Bute
0
0
0
0
0


Clackmannanshire
0
0
0
0
0


Dumfries and Galloway
2
1.941
170
75
245


Dundee City
3
3.272
266
8
274


East Ayrshire
1
49.933
107
0
107


East Dunbartonshire
0
0
0
0
0


East Lothian
0
0
0
0
0


East Renfrewshire
0
0
0
0
0


Edinburgh City
3
6.200
657
0
657


Eilean Siar, Comhairle nan
0
0
0
0
0


Falkirk
2
112.466
466
0
466


Fife
13
2,393.962
2,506
68
2,574


Glasgow City
14
54.818
514
691
1,205


Highland
0
0
0
0
0


Inverclyde
1
1.300
150
0
150


Midlothian
0
0
0
0
0


Moray
1
0.270
13
0
13


North Ayrshire
5
130.485
795
738
1,533


North Lanarkshire
7
85.113
1,632
250
1,882


Orkney Islands
0
0
0
0
0


Perth and Kinross
0
0
0
0
0


Renfrewshire
4
38.497
177
6
183


Scottish Borders
0
0
0
0
0


Shetland Islands
0
0
0
0
0


South Ayrshire
5
22.779
425
232
657


South Lanarkshire
10
98.857
1,215
446
1,661


Stirling
1
0
8
0
8


West Dunbartonshire
3
21.825
141
590
731


West Lothian
11
99.562
1,891
43
1,934


Totals
87
3,121.580
11,148
3,147
14,295



  April 1997 to March 1998

  

Council
Number of Projects
Investment 
(£ Million)
New Jobs
Safeguarded Jobs
Total Jobs


Aberdeenshire
1
40.000
0
0
0


Aberdeen City
0
0
0
0
0


Angus
1
0.350
30
0
30


Argyll and Bute
1
6.512
21
46
67


Clackmannanshire
1
1.588
81
222
303


Dumfries and Galloway
2
0.085
26
158
184


Dundee City
0
0
0
0
0


East Ayrshire
2
1.934
45
202
247


East Dunbartonshire
1
1.025
17
0
17


East Lothian
0
0
0
0
0


East Renfrewshire
0
0
0
0
0


Edinburgh City
2
9.110
812
0
812


Eilean Siar, Comhairle nan
0
0
0
0
0


Falkirk
4
30.886
530
47
577


Fife
8
80.583
439
539
978


Glasgow City
11
39.909
1,491
243
1,734


Highland
2
1.838
310
0
310


Inverclyde
3
68.655
401
0
401


Midlothian
0
0
0
0
0


Moray
0
0
0
0
0


North Ayrshire
3
75.219
170
280
450


North Lanarkshire
9
77.353
1,278
171
1,449


Orkney Islands
0
0
0
0
0


Perth and Kinross
0
0
0
0
0


Renfrewshire
4
90.243
338
4
342


Scottish Borders
1
10
65
0
65


Shetland Islands
0
0
0
0
0


South Ayrshire
4
11.368
303
50
353


South Lanarkshire
14
212.206
5,714
865
6,579


Stirling
1
3.9
13
360
373


West Dunbartonshire
3
5.052
103
8
111


West Lothian
10
243.851
2337
228
2,565


Totals
88
1,011.667
14,524
3,423
17,947



  April 1998 to March 1999

  

Council
Number of Projects
Investment 
(£ Million)
New Jobs
Safeguarded Jobs
Total Jobs


Aberdeenshire
1
3.125
64
251
315


Aberdeen City
2
1.500
32
0
32


Angus
1
1.603
21
10
31


Argyll and Bute
0
0
0
0
0


Clackmannanshire
1
1.538
0
252
252


Dumfries and Galloway
2
0.821
116
0
116


Dundee City
3
7.461
1,110
0
1,110


East Ayrshire
0
0
0
0
0


East Dunbartonshire
0
0
0
0
0


East Lothian
0
0
0
0
0


East Renfrewshire
0
0
0
0
0


Edinburgh City
5
11.171
329
0
329


Eilean Siar, Comhairle nan
0
0
0
0
0


Falkirk
5
394.24
260
0
260


Fife
9
32.085
625
30
655


Glasgow City
10
24.246
1,507
598
2,105


Highland
4
29.08
676
144
820


Inverclyde
2
13.338
601
0
601


Midlothian
0
0
0
0
0


Moray
0
0
0
0
0


North Ayrshire
4
26.714
754
149
903


North Lanarkshire
7
14.636
191
45
236


Orkney Islands
0
0
0
0
0


Perth and Kinross
0
0
0
0
0


Renfrewshire
4
59.450
732
300
1,032


Scottish Borders
1
2.144
35
27
62


Shetland Islands
0
0
0
0
0


South Ayrshire
0
0
0
0
0


South Lanarkshire
6
55.835
572
2
574


Stirling
1
4.700
100
0
100


West Dunbartonshire
3
6.133
140
16
156


West Lothian
7
71.515
1,176
2
1,178


Totals
78
761.335
9,041
1,826
10,867



  April 1999 to March 2000

  

Council
Number of Projects
Investment 
(£ Million)
New Jobs
Safeguarded Jobs
Total Jobs


Aberdeenshire
0
0
0
0
0


Aberdeen City
0
0
0
0
0


Angus
1
7.608
154
0
154


Argyll and Bute
0
0
0
0
0


Clackmannanshire
0
0
0
0
0


Dumfries and Galloway
6
22.036
86
222
308


Dundee City
2
23.309
189
252
441


East Ayrshire
3
7.229
568
405
973


East Dunbartonshire
2
20.803
444
30
474


East Lothian
0
0
0
0
0


East Renfrewshire
0
0
0
0
0


Edinburgh City
4
121.634
2,177
250
2,427


Eilean Siar, Comhairle nan
0
0
0
0
0


Falkirk
3
59.188
117
583
700


Fife
8
56.678
1,593
114
1,707


Glasgow City
19
57.873
2,915
261
3,176


Highland
1
0.400
30
0
0


Inverclyde
4
21.000
1,214
116
1,330


Midlothian
0
0
0
0
0


Moray
0
0
0
0
0


North Ayrshire
4
28.909
749
302
1,051


North Lanarkshire
8
30.608
2,243
96
2,339


Orkney Islands
0
0
0
0
0


Perth and Kinross
0
0
0
0
0


Renfrewshire
6
24.906
271
327
598


Scottish Borders
3
2.100
150
0
150


Shetland Islands
0
0
0
0
0


South Ayrshire
0
0
0
0
0


South Lanarkshire
6
49.019
519
791
1,310


Stirling
0
0
0
0
0


West Dunbartonshire
3
14.135
269
170
439


West Lothian
8
102.826
1,307
420
1,727


Totals
91
650.261
14,995
4,339
19,334



  April 2000 to March 2001

  

Council
Number of Projects
Investment 
(£ Million)
New Jobs
Safeguarded Jobs
Total Jobs


Aberdeenshire
0
0
0
0
0


Aberdeen City
0
0
0
0
0


Angus
6
31.361
1,177
500
1,677


Argyll and Bute
0
0
0
0
0


Clackmannanshire
1
2.500
130
0
130


Dumfries and Galloway
5
30.550
743
12
755


Dundee City
0
0
0
0
0


East Ayrshire
2
3.944
258
55
313


East Dunbartonshire
1
0.020
5
0
5


East Lothian
0
0
0
0
0


East Renfrewshire
1
2.000
50
240
290


Edinburgh City
3
0.250
31
0
31


Eilean Siar, Comhairle nan
0
0
0
0
0


Falkirk
2
0.904
93
0
93


Fife
10
1346.052
1,794
660
2,454


Glasgow City
6
17.840
608
60
668


Highland
2
7.000
180
135
315


Inverclyde
2
23.585
9
1,853
1,862


Midlothian
1
0
6
0
6


Moray
1
11.800
720
0
720


North Ayrshire
4
31.221
301
213
514


North Lanarkshire
6
3.887
102
3
105


Orkney Islands
0
0
0
0
0


Perth and Kinross
0
0
0
0
0


Renfrewshire
8
7.264
475
50
525


Scottish Borders
3
8.935
594
0
594


Shetland Islands
0
0
0
0
0


South Ayrshire
4
4.338
213
0
213


South Lanarkshire
6
18.712
503
155
658


Stirling
2
21.622
30
390
420


West Dunbartonshire
4
1.847
163
0
163


West Lothian
22
180.245
1,658
278
1,936


Totals
102
1,755.877
9,843
4,604
14,447



  April 2001 to March 2002

  

Council
Number of Projects
Investment 
(£ Million)
New Jobs
Safeguarded Jobs
Total Jobs


Aberdeenshire
0
0
0
0
0


Aberdeen City
2
0.680
50
0
50


Angus
1
0.250
15
5
20


Argyll and Bute
1
11.550
124
0
124


Clackmannanshire
1
12.284
0
125
125


Dumfries and Galloway
1
0
395
0
395


Dundee City
0
0
0
0
0


East Ayrshire
1
4.988
31
103
134


East Dunbartonshire
1
2.700
58
0
58


East Lothian
1
0.500
50
0
50


East Renfrewshire
0
0
0
0
0


Edinburgh City
3
9.802
342
68
410


Eilean Siar, Comhairle nan
0
0
0
0
0


Falkirk
0
0
0
0
0


Fife
5
36.470
852
304
1,156


Glasgow City
11
57.536
1,938
119
2,057


Highland
1
10.000
109
0
109


Inverclyde
0
0
0
0
0


Midlothian
1
5.400
51
0
51


Moray
0
0
0
0
0


North Ayrshire
1
19.940
0
310
310


North Lanarkshire
5
6.443
178
177
355


Orkney Islands
0
0
0
0
0


Perth and Kinross
0
0
0
0
0


Renfrewshire
6
0.289
96
0
96


Scottish Borders
1
0.650
0
40
40


Shetland Islands
0
0
0
0
0


South Ayrshire
1
0.100
4
0
4


South Lanarkshire
1
2.200
16
24
40


Stirling
2
11.922
159
109
268


West Dunbartonshire
9
2.775
345
40
385


West Lothian
3
74.800
89
60
149


Totals
59
271.279
4,902
1,484
6,386



  April 2002 to March 2003

  

Council
Number of Projects
Investment 
(£ Million)
New Jobs
Safeguarded Jobs
Total Jobs


Aberdeenshire
0
0
0
0
0


Aberdeen City
3
0.510
43
0
43


Angus
2
7.830
262
0
262


Argyll and Bute
0
0
0
0
0


Clackmannanshire
1
0.604
30
0
30


Dumfries and Galloway
0
0
0
0
0


Dundee City
0
0
0
0
0


East Ayrshire
0
0
0
0
0


East Dunbartonshire
0
0
0
0
0


East Lothian
0
0
0
0
0


East Renfrewshire
0
0
0
0
0


Edinburgh City
1
0.000
0
127
127


Eilean Siar, Comhairle nan
1
0.000
65
0
65


Falkirk
1
0.530
42
0
42


Fife
3
7.932
2
318
320


Glasgow City
10
9.529
932
105
1,037


Highland
4
0.200
688
0
688


Inverclyde
2
4.000
900
0
900


Midlothian
0
0
0
0
0


Moray
0
0
0
0
0


North Ayrshire
1
3.100
96
0
96


North Lanarkshire
2
1.172
76
3
79


Orkney Islands
0
0
0
0
0


Perth and Kinross
0
0
0
0
0


Renfrewshire
9
55.154
281
937
1,218


Scottish Borders
0
0
0
0
0


Shetland Islands
0
0
0
0
0


South Ayrshire
5
40.627
749
1,039
1,788


South Lanarkshire
4
3.858
30
63
93


Stirling
3
3.781
189
33
222


West Dunbartonshire
0
0
0
0
0


West Lothian
5
38.060
137
40
177


Totals
57
176.887
4,522
2,665
7,187



  April 2003 to March 2004

  

Council
Number of Projects
Investment 
(£ Million)
New Jobs
Safeguarded Jobs
Total Jobs


Aberdeenshire
0
0
0
0
0


Aberdeen City
12
0.720
78
0
78


Angus
3
2.625
44
66
110


Argyll and Bute
0
0
0
0
0


Clackmannanshire
0
0
0
0
0


Dumfries and Galloway
1
10.000
65
6
71


Dundee City
0
0
0
0
0


East Ayrshire
0
0
0
0
0


East Dunbartonshire
0
0
0
0
0


East Lothian
0
0
0
0
0


East Renfrewshire
0
0
0
0
0


Edinburgh City
5
76.004
66
511
577


Eilean Siar, Comhairle nan
0
0
0
0
0


Falkirk
0
0
0
0
0


Fife
3
9.423
117
135
252


Glasgow City
5
5.238
204
302
506


Highland
1
3.948
40
0
40


Inverclyde
2
10.501
0
180
180


Midlothian
0
0
0
0
0


Moray
0
0
0
0
0


North Ayrshire
3
15.311
143
307
450


North Lanarkshire
8
38.967
406
567
973


Orkney Islands
0
0
0
0
0


Perth and Kinross
0
0
0
0
0


Renfrewshire
5
6.639
30
443
473


Scottish Borders
2
0.235
16
20
36


Shetland Islands
0
0
0
0
0


South Ayrshire
1
0.425
41
0
41


South Lanarkshire
8
31.053
175
684
859


Stirling
0
0
0
0
0


West Dunbartonshire
1
0.041
4
14
18


West Lothian
5
20.369
236
575
811


Totals
65
231.499
1,665
3810
5,475



  April 2004 to March 2005

  

Council
Number of Projects
Investment 
(£ Million)
New Jobs
Safeguarded Jobs
Total Jobs


Aberdeenshire
0
0
0
0
0


Aberdeen City
0
0
0
0
0


Angus
1
0.269
22
0
22


Argyll and Bute
0
0
0
0
0


Clackmannanshire
0
0
0
0
0


Dumfries and Galloway
1
0.904
15
356
371


Dundee City
0
0
0
0
0


East Ayrshire
1
0.100
100
0
100


East Dunbartonshire
0
0
0
0
0


East Lothian
0
0
0
0
0


East Renfrewshire
0
0
0
0
0


Edinburgh City
3
0.255
166
45
211


Eilean Siar, Comhairle nan
0
0
0
0
0


Falkirk
0
0
0
0
0


Fife
5
5.940
265
114
379


Glasgow City
8
10.823
975
29
1,004


Highland
0
0
0
0
0


Inverclyde
3
16.736
417
100
517


Midlothian
0
0
0
0
0


Moray
0
0
0
0
0


North Ayrshire
3
1.523
65
0
65


North Lanarkshire
5
12.974
375
121
496


Orkney Islands
0
0
0
0
0


Perth and Kinross
0
0
0
0
0


Renfrewshire
3
0.783
209
6
215


Scottish Borders
0
0
0
0
0


Shetland Islands
0
0
0
0
0


South Ayrshire
4
2.624
10
159
169


South Lanarkshire
3
55.940
89
800
889


Stirling
2
26.906
500
26
526


West Dunbartonshire
0
0
0
0
0


West Lothian
4
5.020
104
0
104


Totals
46
140.797
3,312
1756
5,068



  April 2005 to March 2006

  

Council
Number of Projects
Investment 
(£ Million)
New Jobs
Safeguarded Jobs
Total Jobs


Aberdeenshire
0
0
0
0
0


Aberdeen City
0
0
0
0
0


Angus
2
0.063
25
20
45


Argyll and Bute
0
0
0
0
0


Clackmannanshire
2
1.500
35
2
37


Dumfries and Galloway
1
90.000
41
0
41


Dundee City
0
0
0
0
0


East Ayrshire
1
0.824
2
15
17


East Dunbartonshire
0
0
0
0
0


East Lothian
0
0
0
0
0


East Renfrewshire
0
0
0
0
0


Edinburgh City
8
11.646
609
104
713


Eilean Siar, Comhairle nan
0
0
0
0
0


Falkirk
0
0
0
0
0


Fife
7
5.454
274
82
356


Glasgow City
13
53.918
2,572
331
2,903


Highland
0
0
0
0
0


Inverclyde
0
0
0
0
0


Midlothian
0
0
0
0
0


Moray
0
0
0
0
0


North Ayrshire
3
22.674
45
244
289


North Lanarkshire
5
15.322
203
472
675


Orkney Islands
0
0
0
0
0


Perth and Kinross
0
0
0
0
0


Renfrewshire
5
23.268
86
238
324


Scottish Borders
0
0
0
0
0


Shetland Islands
0
0
0
0
0


South Ayrshire
0
0
0
0
0


South Lanarkshire
2
1.101
14
14
28


Stirling
0
0
0
0
0


West Dunbartonshire
1
0.161
50
0
50


West Lothian
3
31.744
591
268
859


Totals
53
257.675
4,547
1790
6,337

Employment

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what reassurances it will give to staff at Selkirk Glass following Edinburgh Crystal and Caithness Glass going into administration.

Nicol Stephen: Selkirk Glass, like its parent company Edinburgh Crystal and sister company Caithness Glass, has earned a reputation for quality. It is therefore deeply disappointing that on 11 August 2006 this distinguished company closed, with the loss of 34 jobs.

  Our main concern is to ensure everything possible is done to assist anyone affected by redundancy to find suitable, alternative employment. Scottish Enterprise Borders has made initial plans for assisting the workforce and has made contact with the company regarding PACE. The local PACE team has approached the company to distribute information to staff and stand by to assist those being made redundant.

Employment

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the numbers and overall percentages in employment are in (a) Dundee and (b) Angus in (i) construction, (ii) manufacturing, (iii) retail and catering, (iv) distribution, hotel and restaurant, (v) business and financial services, (vi) transport and communications, (vii) finance, IT and other business activities, (viii) public administration, education and health and (ix) tourism and other services in each of the last three years.

Nicol Stephen: The following tables 1 and 2 show the number of employee jobs in Angus and Dundee City by standard industry sector.

  Table 1: Employee Jobs by Industry Sector – Angus

  

 
 Levels
 Proportion of Total


 2002
 2003
 2004
 2002
 2003
 2004


 Construction
 1,500
 1,300
 2,500
 4.3%
 3.6%
 7.0%


 Manufacturing
 5,400
 6,100
 6,100
 15.2%
 16.7%
 17.1%


 Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles, motorcycles and personal and household goods
 6,100
 6,700
 6,000
 17.3%
 18.6%
 16.6%


 Hotels and restaurants
 3,200
 2,800
 2,000
 9.0%
 7.7%
 5.6%


 Financial intermediation
 400
 400
 400
 1.0%
 1.1%
 1.1%


 Real estate, renting and business activities
 2,200
 2,300
 2,400
 6.2%
 6.4%
 6.8%


 Transport, storage and communication
 1,300
 1,100
 1,200
 3.6%
 3.1%
 3.4%


 Public administration and defence; compulsory social security
 1,800
 1,900
 1,800
 5.1%
 5.3%
 4.9%


 Education
 2,700
 2,600
 2,300
 7.7%
 7.2%
 6.5%


 Health and social work
 6,300
 7,200
 7,000
 17.7%
 20.0%
 19.6%


 Other 
 4,600
 3,800
 4,100
 12.9%
 10.5%
 11.4%


 Total
 35,600
 36,200
 35,900
 100.0%
 100.0%
 100.0%



  Source: Annual Business Inquiry

  Notes:

  1. Catering sector is included in H: hotels and restaurants.

  2. Distribution sector is included in I: transport, storage and communications.

  3. Finance, IT and other business activities are included in J: financial services and K: real estate, renting and business activities

  4. Other includes A: agriculture, hunting and forestry; B : fishing; C : mining and quarrying; E : electricity, gas and water supply and O : other community, social and personal service activities.

  5. The figures for construction will be underestimated due to the high level of self employment in this industry and that the self employed are excluded from the Annual Business Inquiry.

  5. 2002 figures are based on SIC 1992 codes and 2003-04 figures are based on SIC 2003 codes. This may lead to a discontinuity in levels.

  6. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred.

  7. The total may not equal the sum of the individual components due to rounding.

  Table 2: Employee Jobs by Industry Sector – Dundee City

  

 
 Levels
 Proportion of Total


 2002
 2003
 2004
 2002
 2003
 2004


 Construction
 3,000
 2,700
 4,100
 4.2%
 3.8%
 5.4%


 Manufacturing
 9,200
 9,900
 10,200
 12.9%
 13.5%
 13.5%


 Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles, motorcycles and personal and household goods
 13,400
 13,400
 13,400
 18.9%
 18.4%
 17.7%


 Hotels and restaurants
 4,800
 4,400
 3,700
 6.8%
 6.1%
 4.9%


 Financial intermediation
 1,500
 1,900
 2,500
 2.0%
 2.6%
 3.4%


 Real estate, renting and business activities
 5,600
 6,300
 6,500
 7.9%
 8.7%
 8.5%


 Transport, storage and communication
 3,100
 3,000
 3,000
 4.3%
 4.2%
 4.0%


 Public administration and defence; compulsory social security
 4,700
 5,700
 5,800
 6.6%
 7.8%
 7.6%


 Education
 9,100
 8,800
 9,000
 12.8%
 12.1%
 11.9%


 Health and social work
 11,700
 11,800
 13,300
 16.5%
 16.2%
 17.5%


 Other
 5,000
 5,000
 4,200
 6.9%
 6.8%
 5.6%


 Total
 71,100
 73,000
 75,600
 100.0%
 100.0%
 100.0%



  Source: Annual Business Inquiry

  Notes:

  1. Catering sector is included in H: hotels and restaurants.

  2. Distribution sector is included in I: transport, storage and communications.

  3. Finance, IT and other business activities are included in J: financial services and K: Real estate, renting and business activities

  4. Other includes A: agriculture, hunting and forestry; B: fishing; C: mining and quarrying; E: electricity, gas and water supply and O: other community, social and personal service activities.

  5. The figures for construction will be underestimated due to the high level of self employment in this industry and that the self employed are excluded from the Annual Business Inquiry.

  5. 2002 figures are based on SIC 1992 codes and 2003-04 figures are based on SIC 2003 codes. This may lead to a discontinuity in levels.

  6. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred.

  7. The total may not equal the sum of the individual components due to rounding.

Employment

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals have been self-employed in (a) Dundee and (b) Angus in each of the last three years, expressed also as a percentage of the total numbers in employment.

Nicol Stephen: Table 1 shows the levels and proportions of self-employed people in Angus and Dundee in 2003, 2004 and 2005.

  Table 1 – Levels and Proportions of Self-Employment in Angus and Dundee, 2003-2005

  

 
Level Self-Employed
Self-Employed as a Proportion of Total Employment


2003
2004
2005
2003
2004
2005


Angus
7,000
6,000
6,000
13.5%
12.0%
12.0%


Dundee City
4,000
3,000
4,000
6.3%
5.7%
7.2%



  Source:

  2003 – Annual Scottish Labour Force Survey.

  2004 and 2005 – Annual Population Survey.

  Notes:

  1. Data are rounded to the nearest thousand.

Employment

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many redundancies there have been in the Scottish Borders since January 1998.

Nicol Stephen: Information on the number of redundancies in the Scottish Borders is not held centrally.

Employment

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many redundancies there have been in East Lothian since January 1998.

Nicol Stephen: Information on the number of redundancies in East Lothian is not held centrally.

External Relations

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many overseas Scottish societies it communicates with on a regular basis by electronic or paper newsletters.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Scottish Executive engages with the Scottish diaspora to further Scotland’s interests for the long-term benefit of our economy and society.

  We communicate regularly with the diaspora, alumni and people with an affinity towards Scotland electronically through regular updates. An e-magazine - Scotland Now (www.scotland-now.com) – was launched in March 2006 which is specifically aimed at the diaspora audience.

  Electronic newsletters are issued to subscribers who register to receive updates on an individual basis. We do not routinely gather background details on organisations to which subscribers belong. The weblink to Scotland Now is issued to over 70,000 individuals.

  We are in the process of identifying Scottish associations and diaspora groups overseas in order to effectively target them with information on modern Scotland.

External Relations

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what links it has with the Scots Australian Council and how it intends to develop these links.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Scottish Executive engages with the Scottish Diaspora to further Scotland’s interests for the long-term benefit of our economy and society. We aim to encourage the diaspora’s active participation and engagement in promoting Scotland as a great country to visit, live, learn, work, do business and invest.

  Officials do not have any links with the Scots Australian Council at this time. We are in the process of identifying appropriate Scottish associations and diaspora groups in order to effectively target them with information on modern Scotland.

  The Executive is undertaking a range of activities to promote modern Scotland in Australia. For example, building on the links established during the Commonwealth Games, we have worked with The Scottish Book Trust to support a series of events at the Melbourne International Arts Festival later in October.

  We are keen to develop further the strong links between Scotland and Australia. The First Minister signed a Sister State Agreement with the Premier of the State of Victoria during his visit to Australia in March this year. An action plan to take forward cooperation between Scotland and Victoria is in preparation.

Further and Higher Education

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what revenue and capital funding has been made available, or committed, to Dumfries and Galloway College since 1999.

Nicol Stephen: The information for Dumfries and Galloway College requested is as follows:

  

Academic Year
Capital(£)
Revenue*(£)


1999–2000
80,400
6,303,577


2000–01
427,058
6,522,267


2001–02
359,799
7,324,784


2002–03
289,750
7,477,029


2003–04
113,417
7,718,154


2004–05
474,359
7,970,667


2005–06
1,698,427
8,243,962


2006-07 (current allocations)
4,054,566
9,127,308



  Note: *Revenue figures include funding for recurrent grant in aid, bursaries and special projects.

Further and Higher Education

Mr Kenneth Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals domiciled in Scotland are undertaking studies at higher (HE) and further education (FE) level, broken down by ethnic group.

Nicol Stephen: The numbers of individuals domiciled in Scotland that studied at higher or further education level in the academic year 2004-05, broken down by ethnic group, are indicated in the following tables.

  Scottish Domiciled Students in UK Higher Education Institutions by Ethnicity and Level of Study in 2004-05

  

 
 Total
 HE
 FE


 Total
 193,740
 193,100
 640


 White
 172,275
 171,720
 555


 Black Caribbean
 85
 80
 0


 Black African
 695
 695
 0


 Black Other
 155
 155
 0


 Indian
 855
 855
 0


 Pakistani
 1,775
 1,770
 0


 Bangladeshi
 140
 140
 0


 Chinese
 1,120
 1,120
 0


 Other Asian
 570
 565
 5


 Other
 1,700
 1,690
 10


 Refused/not known
 14,370
 14,305
 65



  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

  Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest five to protect confidentiality. Numbers may not sum to total due to rounding.

  Scottish Domiciled Students in Scottish Further Education Colleges by Ethnicity and Level of Study in 2004-05

  

 
 Total
 HE
 FE


 Total
 340,495
 50,330
 290,165


 White
 317,040
 47,085
 269,955


 Black Caribbean
 145
 25
 120


 Black African
 2,065
 370
 1,695


 Black Other
 280
 55
 220


 Indian
 1,130
 180
 950


 Pakistani
 3,095
 535
 2,560


 Bangladeshi
 250
 35
 210


 Chinese
 1,875
 265
 1,605


 Other Asian
 1,575
 215
 1,360


 Other
 3,220
 415
 2,805


 Refused/not known
 9,820
 1,150
 8,670



  Source: Scottish Funding Council (SFC).

  Note:

  1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest five to protect confidentiality. Numbers may not sum to total due to rounding.

  2. Includes a small amount of double counting of students who have enrolled on a combination of HE and FE courses or two HE courses concurrently.

  The data above include Scottish domiciled students studying at any UK Higher Education Institution or any of Scotland’s Colleges. The Scottish Executive does not hold data on Further Education Colleges outside of Scotland.

Further and Higher Education

Mr Kenneth Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the attainment levels are of students domiciled in Scotland completing higher and further education, broken down by ethnic group.

Nicol Stephen: Number of students domiciled in Scotland completing a higher education (HE) course in 2004-05, broken down by level of attainment and ethnic group.

  

 
 Total
 Postgraduate
 First Degree
 Other HE


 Total
 58,660
 10,245
 23,250
 25,160


 White
 53,470
 8,570
 21,145
 23,750


 Black Caribbean
 30
 5
 10
 20


 Black African
 270
 50
 65
 155


 Black Other
 60
 5
 20
 35


 Indian
 250
 45
 130
 75


 Pakistani
 570
 90
 285
 195


 Bangladeshi
 45
 5
 25
 15


 Chinese
 385
 95
 175
 110


 Other Asian
 195
 45
 55
 95


 Other
 485
 90
 200
 190


 Refused/not known
 2,895
 1,245
 1,130
 520



  Sources: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and Scottish Funding Council (SFC).

  Notes:

  1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest five to protect confidentiality. Numbers may not sum to total due to rounding.

  2. Numbers include higher education students graduating from UK Higher Education Institutions or Scottish Further Education Colleges.

  Number of students domiciled in Scotland completing a further education course in 2004-05, broken down by level of level of attainment and ethnic group.

  

 
 Total
 Assessed and Successful
 Completed; Course Not Assessed


 Total
 285,165
 136,900
 148,265


 White
 263,470
 128,390
 135,075


 Black Caribbean
 100
 55
 50


 Black African
 1765
 825
 940


 Black Other
 225
 100
 125


 Indian
 960
 510
 445


 Pakistani
 2585
 1260
 1325


 Bangladeshi
 225
 115
 110


 Chinese
 1810
 995
 815


 Other Asian
 1465
 700
 765


 Other
 3905
 1155
 2755


 Refused/not known
 8,655
 2,800
 5,855



  Source: Scottish Funding Council (SFC)

  Note:

  1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest five to protect confidentiality. Numbers may not sum to total due to rounding.

  2. Numbers include further education students completing a course at a Scottish Further Education College.

  This data include Scottish domiciled students studying at any UK Higher Education Institution or any of Scotland’s Colleges. The Scottish Executive does not hold data on Further Education Colleges outside of Scotland.

  At further education level there are a considerable number of courses that are not formally assessed; the number of students who completed such courses is shown in the last column of the above table.

Further and Higher Education

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning’s statement on 14 September 2006 that "Since devolution alone, the number of Scots entering degree-level studies has increased by 12 per cent" ( Official Report , c. 27507) took into account changes made in 2003-04 to the way in which Open University students are recorded.

Nicol Stephen: The number of Scottish entrants to degree-level study in Scottish institutions in 1999-2000 was 27,460. The number in 2004-05 was 30,780, representing a 12 per cent increase. These figures were from table 13 of the Scottish Executive National Statistics publication Students in Higher Education at Scottish Institutions 2004-05, which can be found at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/04/28100117/16.0

  For the purposes of this publication the Open University is not classed as a Scottish institution. Therefore, the changes made in 2003-04 to the way in which Open University students are recorded would not have affected the numbers that the Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning was referring to.

  The above publication also contains information on the number of students at the Open University in Scotland in a separate table, table 9, which can be found at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/04/28100117/12.

Further and Higher Education

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what factors caused the fall in initial entry to degree level courses from 2004 to 2005.

Nicol Stephen: The factors causing the fall in initial entry to degree level courses between 2003-04 and 2004-05 it are likely to be complex. The Executive is engaging with the Scottish Funding Council and institutions to discuss the issue in detail and will take appropriate action in light of these discussions.

Further and Higher Education

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many higher education students domiciled in Scotland there were in Scottish institutions in each year since 1999-2000.

Nicol Stephen: Number of Scottish domiciled higher education students in Scottish institutions: 1999-2000 to 2004-05

  

 Year
 Total Number of Students


 1999-2000
 203,790


 2000-01
 206,580


 2001-02
 211,075


 2002-03
 203,205


 2003-04
 205,965


 2004-05
 206,550



  Sources: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and Scottish Funding Council (SFC)

  Note:

  1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest five to protect confidentiality.

  2. Numbers include higher education students studying in Scottish higher education institutions or Scottish further education colleges.

  The data above includes those studying at sub-degree, degree or postgraduate level in the given academic year.

Further and Higher Education

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to improve the quality of its statistics on graduate destinations.

Nicol Stephen: The data that the Scottish Executive currently holds on graduate destinations comes from two sources. Information on graduates from Higher Education Institutions is provided by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) from their Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey. Information on graduates from Further Education Colleges is provided by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) and their First Destination of Graduates (FDG) survey.

  The destination information currently collected gives details of graduates activities and location approximately six months after graduating.

  HESA have successfully piloted a longitudinal survey that aims to find out what graduates have been doing, over a longer period of time, since completing their studies. It will survey graduates three and a half years after graduation has been completed. The first full DLHE Longitudinal survey will take place this winter. A sample of graduates from the 2002-03 leaving cohort will be surveyed.

  The FDG survey is currently carried out by Scotland’s Further Education Colleges. The Scottish Funding Council has indicated that they are looking to implement a more standardised approach. This will include internet access for students undertaking the survey. It is hoped to have this structure in place next year, which would mean that students graduating in 2007-08 would be the first to be influenced by this change.

Income

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average gross (a) hourly and (b) weekly pay has been of full-time employees in Dundee in each of the last three years, broken down by gender.

Nicol Stephen: The preferred source for earnings estimates is the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), which is carried out by the Office for National Statistics.

  The following table shows the median gross pay for full-time employees in Dundee by gender in 2003, 2004 and 2005. The median is the recommended measure of average for earnings as opposed to the mean.

  Table 1 – Median Gross Hourly and Weekly Pay for Full-Time Employees in Dundee by Gender (£)

  

 
2003
2004
2005


Male
Female
Male
Female
Male
Female


Median hourly pay
9.51
8.26
9.49
8.23
10.02
9.39


Median weekly pay
385.50
302.90
371.40
309.90
392.80
343.70



  Source: Annual Survey for Hours and Earnings.

  Notes:

  1. The estimates are based on the pay excluding overtime for employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence.

  2. The estimates are based on a sample survey, and as such, are subject to sampling error.

  3. To improve coverage and hence make the survey more representative, supplementary information was collected from the 2004 ASHE survey onwards. The 2004 and 2005 ASHE results are therefore discontinuous with the results for 2003 and previous years, for which no supplementary information was collected.

  4. Weekly rates of pay have been rounded to the nearest 10 pence.

  5. Rates are based on residence based earnings.

Income

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average gross (a) hourly and (b) weekly pay has been of full-time employees in Angus in each of the last three years, broken down by gender.

Nicol Stephen: The preferred source for earnings estimates is the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), which is carried out by the Office for National Statistics.

  The following table below shows the median gross pay for full-time employees in Angus by gender in 2003, 2004 and 2005. The median is the recommended measure of average for earnings as opposed to the mean.

  Table 1 – Median Gross Hourly and Weekly Pay for Full-Time Employees in Angus by Gender (£)

  

 
2003
2004
2005


Male
Female
Male
Female
Male
Female


Median hourly pay
9.79
8.35
10.31
8.80
10.75
9.26


Median weekly pay
422.10
318.50
426.40
328.60
440.60
335.50



  Source: Annual Survey for Hours and Earnings.

  Notes:

  1. The estimates are based on the pay excluding overtime for employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence.

  2. The estimates are based on a sample survey, and as such, are subject to sampling error.

  3. To improve coverage and hence make the survey more representative, supplementary information was collected from the 2004 ASHE survey onwards. The 2004 and 2005 ASHE results are therefore discontinuous with the results for 2003 and previous years, for which no supplementary information was collected.

  4. Weekly rates of pay have been rounded to the nearest 10 pence.

  5. Rates are based on residence based earnings.

Industry

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the gross value added has been in the manufacturing sector in (a) Dundee and (b) Angus in each of the last three years, expressed also on a per employee basis.

Nicol Stephen: Data on Gross Value Added (GVA) in the manufacturing sector for Dundee City and Angus are shown in the following table.

  Gross Value Added (GVA) at current basic prices (£ millions) in the manufacturing sector, 2002-04

  

Local Authority Area
Year
GVA(Basic prices, £ Million)
GVA per employee (£)


Dundee City
2002
303
31,657


2003
372
37,810


2004
377
36,995


Angus
2002
147
28,683


2003
270
44,715


2004
245
39,666



  Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Business Inquiry (Compiled by Scottish Executive).

  It is important to note that the annual changes in the GVA figures presented above should not be interpreted as an indicator of economic growth in the area as they have not been adjusted for inflation.

Medical Education

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total intake of students to medical schools has been in each year since 1997 and how many of these students graduated with a medical degree.

Nicol Stephen: The numbers of students entering first degree courses in pre-clinical medicine at Scottish Higher Education Institutions and the number of students graduating from first degree level courses in clinical medicine at Scottish Higher Education Institutions are given in the following tables for the years 1997-98 to 2004-05. Graduates who had transferred from St Andrews to Manchester University are included for the years 2002-03 to 2004-05.

  Entrants to First Degree Pre-Clinical Medicine Courses at Scottish Higher Education Institutions, 1997-98 to 2004-05.

  

 Year of Entry
 Number of Entrants


 1997-98
 955


 1998-99
 965


 1999-2000
 900


 2000-01
 920


 2001-02
 925


 2002-03
 975


 2003-04
 1045


 2004-05
 1060



  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency.

  Note:

  1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest five to protect confidentiality.

  2. Numbers relate to entrants at first degree level.

  Graduates of first degree clinical medicine courses at Scottish Higher Education Institutions, 1997-98 to 2004-05 (including transfers to Manchester for 2002-03 to 2004-05).

  

 Year of Graduation
 Number of Graduates


 1997-98
 720


 1998-99
 745


 1999-00
 735


 2000-01
 680


 2001-02
 800


 2002-03*
 840


 2003-04*
 875


 2004-05*
 920



  Sources: Higher Education Statistics Agency and (*) Manchester University for 2002-03 to 2004-05 only.

  Note:

  1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest five to protect confidentiality.

  2. Numbers relate to graduates at first degree level.

  The data reported above contains entrants from St Andrews University each year.

  Students who enter pre-clinical medicine courses at St Andrews University will traditionally complete their clinical medicine course at Manchester University – although they are free to continue elsewhere. The graduate data reported above from 2002-03 onwards contains graduates from Manchester University that originally studied pre-clinical medicine at St Andrews University. This information was provided by Manchester University.

Mental Health

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been specifically focused on services for people with mental health problems in each of the last five years.

Lewis Macdonald: NHS boards and local authorities receive a general allocation of funds and it is for those agencies to work together with their partners to decide how best to use these funds to meet the assessed needs of their resident population, including mental health services, taking account of national and local priorities.

  NHS board and local authority expenditure on mental health services in each of the last five years was:

  

Financial Year
NHS Board Expenditure on Mental Health
(£ Million)
Local Authority Expenditure on Mental Health
(£ Million)
Total
(£ Million)


2004-05
625.5
72.8
698.3


2003-04
581.3
63.4
644.7


2002-03
560.9
47.6
608.5


2001-02
519.8
32.5
552.3


2000-01
474.4
30.8
505.2



  Significant other funding which will impact on overall services and support for people with mental health problems has also been provided e.g. for the Mental Welfare Commission, the National Programme for Improving Mental Health and Well-being; Mental Health Specific Grant and support for a range of voluntary sector organisations.

NHS Hospitals

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many official visits to NHS hospitals were made by the First Minister in each year since 2001, broken down by hospital.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Executive is implementing a massive increase in NHS investment, with the biggest building programme in a generation, an increase in frontline health staff and clinical priorities which encourage out-patient and non-hospital based treatment.

  We are also committed to improving the overall health of all Scots, through encouraging improved lifestyle choices with regards to smoking, diet and exercise.

  The First Minister and other ministers undertake a wide variety of engagements to drive forward this important work, such as visits to hospices, health centres, healthy living initiatives, healthy eating schemes in schools, and research institutes, as well as meetings with key stakeholders.

  The following table gives details of the 21 specific and officially recorded hospital visits undertaken by the current First Minister since November 2001. In addition to these, the First Minister has visited hospitals on a number of occasions in the course of other events, his constituency duties, and as a private citizen.

  

 Hospital
 Date


 Stirling Royal Infirmary 
 29 November 2001


 Sick Kids Hospital, Edinburgh
 23 December 2001


 Falkirk Royal Infirmary
 17 January 2002


 Wishaw Hospital
 1 February 2002


 Edinburgh Royal Infirmary
 28 February 2002


 Benbecula Hospital
 22 April 2002


 Strathclyde Hospital, Motherwell
 13 May 2002


 HCI Hospital, Clydebank
 9 August 2002


 Western General Hospital, Edinburgh
 3 October 2002


 Edinburgh Royal Infirmary
 4 December 2002


 Ninewells Hospital, Dundee
 11 February 2003 


 Beatson Institute, Glasgow
 14 August 2003


 Western General Hospital, Edinburgh
 2 October 2003


 Sick Kids Hospital, Edinburgh
 24 December 2003


 Carstairs Hospital
 9 February 2004


 Glasgow Western Infirmary
 12 May 2004


 Ninewells Hospital, Dundee
 24 May 2004


 Erskine Hospital
 24 January 2005


 St Johns Hospital, Livingston
 9 March 2005


 Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, Little France
 18 April 2006


 Southern General Hospital, Glasgow
 31 August 2006

Prison Service

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the disability living allowance allocated to inmates in Scottish prisons is paid to the Scottish Prison Service.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  None. I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-28097 on 6 October 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Regulation

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-22941 by Nicol Stephen on 31 March 2006, how many calls the IRIS hotline received from non-governmental bodies or the public in 2005.

Nicol Stephen: I refer the member to the answers to questions S2W-25185 and S2W-25186 on 6 October 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliaments website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Regulation

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-22941 by Nicol Stephen on 31 March 2006, how many calls the IRIS hotline received in total in 2005.

Nicol Stephen: The Improving Regulation Unit hotline received four calls in total in 2005, all from non-governmental bodies or the public. None of these were substantive. However, as I explained in my answer to S2W-25186, since 2004 we have established a different approach towards addressing businesses’ concerns involving the Industry led Regulatory Sub-Group. The "hotline", introduced in 2001 has now outlived its usefulness and can now be retired. It should be stressed that there are presently no additional costs involved in running the "hotline"

Regulation

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-22941 by Nicol Stephen on 31 March 2006, what the actual figure was of direct representations to the Improving Regulation in Scotland Unit from non-governmental bodies or the public in 2005.

Nicol Stephen: Further to my answer to question S2W-22941 on 31 March 2006, the majority of concerns from business are raised and addressed through the work of the industry led Regulatory Sub-Group of the Small Business Consultative Group. This group was set up in December 2004, partly in response to the fact that the hotline was not generating as much calls from Scottish businesses or from the public as was originally anticipated. It was therefore decided to try a different tack to try and engage with business over any regulatory concerns they might have. The group does this by selecting specific areas of regulatory activity, examining their purpose, objective, implementation and enforcement together with their impact on business costs and thereby gain a view of their overall effectiveness. The group engages with business practitioners, enforcers and advisers as well as policy maker’s out – with the Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department to ensure as wide a spectrum of opinions and experience are captured as possible. The Group is chaired by Professor Russell Griggs of the CBI and includes representatives from the Federation of Small Businesses, The Forum of Private Business, The Scottish Chambers of Commerce, the Institute of Chartered Accountants for Scotland, the Scottish Consumers Council and the Scottish Trades Union Congress. The Scotland Office and the Office of Fair Trading participates in matters concerning UK legislation and regulators and representatives of the EU Commission have also been involved. In 2005 the Sub-Group looked at specific five issues referred to it by members: Care Homes, Maternity/Paternity Regulations, Smoke Flavourings Regulations, the sub-sea sector and the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliaments website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Renewable Energy

Richard Lochhead (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it has allocated for the promotion and development of renewable energy for each of the next three years and in each year since devolution, also showing year-on-year percentage increases.

Nicol Stephen: Funds have been allocated specifically for the promotion and development of renewable energy in each of the last three completed financial years and expenditure is set out in the following table, together with the current budget figures for 2006-07 and 2007-08:

  

Year
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08


£ Spent/budgeted
2.67 million
3.87 million
3.89 million
14.50 million
15.94 million


% change
 -
+45
+0.5
+367
+10



  Renewable energy projects have in addition benefited from other funding streams under the administration of the Scottish Executive but not specifically designed to support renewable energy, including, for example, the support given to businesses under the SMART and SPUR programmes, Regional Selective Assistance and the European Regional Development Fund.

  Support is also given to renewable energy projects by external agencies: for example, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Scottish Enterprise, and Forestry Commission (Scotland).

Roads

Campbell Martin (West of Scotland) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive, since agreeing with North Ayrshire Council that part of the revenue support grant provided to the council should be used to fund an off-line improvement to the A737 trunk road at the Den, between Dalry and Beith, what contact or communication there has been between the Executive or its agencies and the local authority on this matter, including the date and nature of the contact or communication; what decisions have been reached, and when the Executive expects the agreed off-line improvement to be carried out.

Tavish Scott: Over the last two years the Scottish Executive and Transport Scotland have been in regular contact with North Ayrshire Council about the Den improvement scheme. This has included telephone calls, e-mails, letters and meetings; the most recent meeting took place on 20 September 2006.

  Decisions have been reached on: (i) confirming the principle for North Ayrshire Council to proceed with the scheme based on it’s merits; (ii) the technical aspects of the design, trunk road standards, environmental assessment and geotechnical certification; (iii) the legal aspects of the statutory process and the format of the legal authority under which the council can procure the scheme on a trunk road, and (iv) programming.

  As the improvement is the responsibility of North Ayrshire Council the programme for delivery is dependant on the council. The scheme is currently expected to be constructed later in 2008 but this is subject to the satisfactory completion of statutory procedures and the scheduling of the other improvements planned for the A737 trunk road.

  Transport Scotland has operational responsibility for this area, and can be contacted for more information if required.

Scottish Executive Departments

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what programmes and services its Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department delivers directly and what the current annual budget is for each.

Nicol Stephen: The following table details the programmes and services of the Enterprise Transport and Lifelong Learning Department which it will deliver directly in 2006-07.

  

Budget Heading
Purpose
2006-07 Budget (£000)


Regional Selective Assistance
The Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) scheme contributes directly to the Executive’s aim of raising the long-term sustainable growth rate of the Scottish economy through encouraging investment projects which improve productivity, increase competitiveness and support employment in the assisted areas. In 2006-07 it is planned that accepted RSA offers will lead to the creation and safeguarding of 6,000 jobs in relatively underperforming parts of Scotland helping to improve business performance and close the opportunity gap in employment in these areas.
45,209


Innovation Support
Innovation Support is largely delivered via the SMART/SPUR grant scheme, which helps small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) to improve their competitiveness by supporting early stage research and development of innovative products/processes. The remainder of the budget assists with a variety of other innovation initiatives with a national dimension; These include the SCORE (SME Collaborative Research) grants to support R&D projects, jointly undertaken between SMEs and public sector research bodies; the SEEKIT (Scottish Executive Expertise, Knowledge and Innovation Transfer) programme, for projects that improve the ability of Scotland’s science base to work with business, and support for companies in marketing and product launch.
12,599


Energy Efficiency
In the Executive’s continued commitment to lowering carbon emissions within the public sector, the Energy Efficiency Unit will provide £1.43m in 2006/7 to Scottish local authorities as a part of the Central Energy Efficiency Fund, which has been running since December 2004.
1,430


Renewable Energy
The Executive is committed to promoting a wide range of renewable energy technologies, and has set a target that 40% of Scotland’s electricity should come from renewable sources by 2020. The bulk of that spend is delivered on our behalf, e.g. the Scottish Community and Household Renewables Initiative and continued support for the European Marine Energy Centre on Orkney.A direct grant of £400,000 is being made this year towards the cost of installing a biomass boiler at Queen Margaret University.
400


Green Jobs
As part of their commitment to developing renewables, Ministers have made clear their wish to support as diverse a range of technologies as possible; this will help Scotland obtain the maximum economic potential from these sectors, particularly in the manufacture, installation and export of the components and technologies in question. In 2006, this will include grant expenditure of over £2.5 million towards Talisman Energy’s deepwater offshore wind demonstrator in the Moray Firth.
2,650


European Regional Structural Funds-European Regional Development Fund-European Social Fund
European Structural Funds support economic re-structuring, job creation and training across a wide range of areas in Scotland.ETLLD has devolved responsibility for implementing European Structural Funds programmes in Scotland. This includes spending on the European Social Fund, the European Regional Development Fund and the non-scheme elements of the European Agricultural Guarantee and Guidance Fund.Grants are issued to recipients from both the public and voluntary sectors for projects that have been approved by Scottish Ministers, following consideration by the partnership-based appraisal structures, under the supervision of the Programme Monitoring Committees, to make sure that they meet the criteria of the programmes.
103,21667,083


Freight Grant Scheme
The Scottish Executive operates four freight grant schemes aimed at making transport more sustainable:- the Freight Facilities Grant (FFG), Waterborne Freight Grant (WFG), Track Access Grant (TAG) and the Company Neutral Revenue Support Grant (CNRS) schemes. They all support the partnership agreement commitment of encouraging the transfer of freight from road to rail and/or water and are based on the generation of environmental benefits by companies transferring freight from the road. FFG contributes to the capital costs of equipment and facilities for rail, inland waterway and sea freight. WFG assists with the operating costs of shipping projects and is aimed at new waterborne traffic but is also available to current operations where without WFG support freight will revert to road. TAG provides revenue support to offset track access charges on the rail network. CNRS provides revenue assistance for intermodal freight by rail, such as containers to and from sea ports, and goods moved between inland rail terminals.
13,900


Road Safety Scotland
Road Safety Scotland produces national road safety education resources, many for use in schools, and national publicity messages aimed at various groups. Education resources are distributed to schools and other target groups through local authority and police Road Safety Units, whose function is to undertake road safety education and publicity at local level.
1,766

Scottish Executive Funding

Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-27336 by Nicol Stephen on 28 August 2006, whether it has any plans to hold information centrally about the number of medical innovations being piloted by NHS boards following the investment of public money in the research and development of such innovations.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive has no current plans to hold such information centrally.

  However, the Executive recognises the benefits, from both a health and economic development perspective, in the uptake of medical innovations in the NHS. I have agreed with the life sciences industry in Scotland that they will give me proposals on how we might take this forward. The Health Minister and I will therefore meet with them in October for an initial discussion of their proposals.

Scottish Prison Service

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many inmates in Scottish prisons are in receipt of the disability living allowance.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  As far as we are aware, no prisoners in Scottish Prisons should be receiving disability living allowance. The SPS have implemented a Service Level Agreement with the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). The purpose is to provide data of all prisoner’s details.

Student Finance

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average indebtedness to the Student Loans Company is of all Scottish-domiciled borrowers who graduated or otherwise ceased to borrow in 2006.

Nicol Stephen: It is not possible to provide an answer as those who graduate in 2006 and those who cease to borrow in 2006 enter repayment in April 2007, therefore the figures are unavailable at this time. However, the following table shows the figures for graduates and others who entered repayment in April. 2006.

  

 
Product
Customer Count
Total Debt
Average Debt


All Borrowers
Income Contingent Loan
38,797
228,541,774.65
5,890.71

Student Finance

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much is currently outstanding from the two tranches of student loan debts sold to banks in 1998 and 1999.

Nicol Stephen: The outstanding debt from the two tranches of student loan debts sold to banks in 1998 and 1999 is £101.8 million as at March 2006 for Scottish domiciled students.

Student Finance

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what sums it has paid to the purchasing banks in each year since 1998 in respect of the student loans sold by HM Treasury in 1998 and 1999 and what obligations were covered by these sums.

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has paid to date to the purchasing banks in respect of the student loans sold by HM Treasury in 1998 and 1999 whose borrowers subsequently satisfied one or more of the conditions for having their loans written off.

Nicol Stephen: The information requested is given in the following table:

  

 
 1
 2
 3
 4
 5
 6
 Total


(£000) 
Subsidy
(£000) 
Write Off’s
(£000) 
Loans Repurchased
(£000) 
First Loss Claims
(£000)
First Loss Repayments
(£000)
Adjustment


 1998-991
 6,438
 0
 0
 0
 0
 -1
 6,437


 1999-2000
 10,754
 114
 104
 1
 0
 1,236
 12,209


 2000-01
 12,471
 52
 83
 1,596
 0
 638
 14,840


 2001-02
 8,595
 93
 22
 3,229
 -44
 -551
 11,344


 2002-03
 8,610
 95
 25
 2,349
 -108
 -326
 10,645


 2003-04
 5,611
 162
 95
 1,495
 -221
 -90
 7,052


 2004-05
 5,075
 193
 41
 1,134
 -217
 999
 7,225


 2005-06
 4,712
 461
 30
 1,630
 -289
 0
 6,544



  Note: 1 – Scottish Office Figures.

  Column 1 – The subsidy is the payment made to the purchasing banks to cover the difference between the commercial rate of interest the banks would normally charge and the rate of inflation they are required to charge by the regulations.

  Column 2 – Payments are made to the purchasing banks for loans which are written off due to age or death.

  Column 3 – Shows payments made for loans which are "repurchased" and returned to the government portfolio for reasons of permanent disability or being medically unfit for work.

  Column 4 - First loss claims, reimburse the purchasing banks for loans which become 24 months or more in arrears, as these loans no longer attract the interest rate subsidy.

  Column 5 - First loss repayments are deducted from the total Executive payment as loan repayments can still be received after the first loss claim is put in place, i.e. after the bad debt is written off.

  Column 6 - Adjustments can be made to the figures in respect of year-end reconciliations between what has been paid by the DfES and the devolved administrations. Adjustments can also be made to reflect accruals and differences in spend across financial years.

Student Finance

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total current outstanding student loan debt is from Scottish borrowers.

Nicol Stephen: At the end of the 2005-06 financial year, the total amount outstanding, per the unaudited accounts, for student loans from Scottish borrowers is £1.659 billion.

Student Finance

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total write-off of student loans debt has been since 1999.

Nicol Stephen: Between financial years 1999-2000 and 2005-06, a total of 1,206 Scottish domiciled borrowers have had their loans written off by the Student Loans Company, with a total value of £2,394,599.

Student Finance

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average length of time is to pay off a student loan debt.

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average length of time is to pay off a student loan debt through the taxation system.

Nicol Stephen: It is not possible to provide details on the actual time taken for graduates to repay their loans. A forecast of the average time to repay can however be estimated using the Student Loan Model an estimate using this model was provided in answer to question S2W-20429 on the 16 November 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

  The estimate calculated at that time was 13 years. This is still the most up to date estimate. The Scottish Executive will be updating the model before the end of the year at which point it will be possible to provide an update on this figure.

Student Finance

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many student loan borrowers domiciled in Scotland, now in repayment status, had their payments outweighed by interest charged on their loans in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Nicol Stephen: When considered in real terms, no student loan borrower in any stage of repayment will have payments outweighed by interest charged on their loans.

  The real rate of interest on student loans is zero, as the interest charge simply covers inflation. Therefore, any repayment made, no matter how small, would always result in a borrower owing less in real terms.

  If no repayments were made, the borrower would still owe the same amount in real terms.

Student Finance

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will expand on the statement by the Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning on 14 September 2006 that "The Treasury in effect pays the loans" ( Official Report , c. 27527).

Nicol Stephen: Expenditure on student support can be split into two main categories. Expenditure from the Scottish Executive Budget and expenditure from outwith Total Managed Expenditure i.e. funds which come directly from HM Treasury and are outside the Scottish Executive Budget.

  Expenditure from within the Executive Budget includes the payment of tuition fees, grants, bursaries, SAAS running costs and costs associated with running the student loan schemes. This includes the student loan subsidy, unwinding of student loan provisions and Student Loan Company administration.

  Student Loan advances were made from outwith the Scottish Executive Budget and paid by HM Treasury and were outwith Total Managed Expenditure.

  Treasury has now re-classified student loan advances and repayments as Annual Managed Expenditure (AME) as from 1 April 20006. This brings this net expenditure within the Scottish Executive’s Total Managed Expenditure. All AME expenditure is met in full by Treasury.

Student Finance

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) mean, (b) mode and (c) median student loan debt is for Scottish borrowers who ceased to be students during 2006.

Nicol Stephen: The following table shows the mean, mode and median student loan debt for Scottish borrowers who entered repayment in 2006:

  Student Loan Debt for Scottish Domiciled Borrowers, as at 31 March 2006

  

 
 Student Loan Debt


 Mode
£4,214


 Median
£4,259


 Mean
£5,891



  Source: Student Loans Company.

  It should be noted that debt is calculated at the point of entering repayment (i.e. 31 March 2006) rather than at the point of graduation. Therefore, the majority of customers who have ceased to be students in 2006 will not enter repayment until 2007 and we cannot provide figures for these students as yet.

Student Finance

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to Consolidated Resource Accounts for the Year Ended 31 March 2005, why £38 million was received in student loan repayments when £29 million is shown as income applied for the Student Awards Agency for Scotland.

Nicol Stephen: There is no correlation between the two figures. The £38 million is student loan repayments whereas the £29 million comprises capitalised interest (£29.3 million) and repayment of awards (£21,000).

Student Finance

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to Consolidated Resource Accounts for the Year Ended 31 March 2005, what factors caused the Student Awards Agency for Scotland’s underspend to be less than predicted on student fees, support through the Quigley agreement, resource aspects of student loans and other schemes.

Nicol Stephen: The underspend was due to the number of students being less than originally anticipated, resulting in underspends on various SAAS schemes and also an underspend in the resource cost of student loans.

Student Finance

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how graduate endowment income has been spent since it became available.

Nicol Stephen: Graduate Endowment income became available in 2005-06 and in accordance with section 2 of The Education (Graduate Endowment and Student Support) (Scotland) Act 2001 has been applied in the provision of student support.

Transport

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what Transport Scotland’s projected running costs are in total and broken down into (a) accommodation, (b) salary and (c) other staff costs for (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2007-08, (iii) 2008-09 and (iv) 2009-10.

Tavish Scott: The Transport Scotland Business Plan 2006-07, published on 19 April 2006, indicates in Annex E, the details of spending programmes for 2006-07 and 2007-08 financial years.

  Spending plans for future years 2008-09 and 2009-10 will be determined at the next comprehensive spending review (SR07) and therefore it would be too early to anticipate the outcome of this process.

Transport

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost was of setting up Transport Scotland.

Tavish Scott: As part of the last spending review (SR04) settlement, funding was allocated to Transport Portfolio to take forward our Partnership Commitment to bring forward proposals for a Strategic Transport Authority, as an agency within the Executive directly accountable to ministers.

  Funding of £1.2 million - £2.8 million - £3.3 million for years 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 was ring-fenced at SR04 to take forward the establishment of Transport Scotland the new Executive Agency.

  Transport Scotland is still in its infancy with the building fit-out and relocation of staff being approached in two phases. This started in May 2006, but the final move of staff has only just been undertaken.

  The Transport Scotland 2006-07 Annual Report will reflect the total actual expenditure of one-off costs related to the set-up and establishment of Transport Scotland.

Transport

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what functions were transferred from its Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department to Transport Scotland.

Tavish Scott: Transport Scotland started work as an executive agency in January 2006. The agency is responsible for helping to deliver the Executive’s £3 billion capital road and rail investment programme over the next decade, overseeing the safe and efficient running of Scotland’s trunk roads and rail networks and establishing and running a national scheme for concessionary travel in Scotland.

  The Scottish Executive’s Transport Group remains responsible for:

  Coordinating the National Transport Strategy for Scotland;

  Liaison with regional transport partnerships, including monitoring of funding;

  Sustainable transport, road safety and accessibility;

  Local roads policy and casework;

  Aviation, bus, freight and taxi policy, and

  Ferries, ports and harbours.

  Further information on the functions of Transport Scotland can be accessed on its website at: http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/index.aspx?pageID=1.

Transport

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the remit is of Transport Scotland.

Tavish Scott: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-28446 on 6 October 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliaments website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

  Information on Transport Scotland can be found on its website at:

  http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/index.aspx?pageID=1.

Transport

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) Executive staff and (b) staff hours were involved in the delivery of functions now carried out by Transport Scotland in the year prior to its establishment.

Tavish Scott: There were 110 Scottish Executive staff working for 178,860 hours on Transport Scotland functions in the year before it opened for business in January 2006. There are currently 287 permanent posts within the agency. Staffing levels have increased because Transport Scotland is discharging the new rail responsibilities devolved to Scottish ministers in 2005, dealing with rail delivery, regulation and freight. It is overseeing seven major new public transport projects. It is also managing the National Concessionary Travel Schemes. Approximately 40 staff moved from Strathclyde Partnership for Transport to Transport Scotland to deal with the implementation of the concessionary fares schemes and SQUIRE Inspection.

Transport

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what mechanisms it has in place to monitor the output and performance of Transport Scotland.

Tavish Scott: Transport Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Executive, and as such, through its Chief Executive, is directly accountable to Scottish ministers.

  Transport Scotland’s Framework Document which was approved by the Minister for Transport is available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 38523). It sets out how this accountability operates in full detail.

  Transport Scotland’s Corporate Plan and Annual Business Plan are available on Transport Scotland’s website at www.transportscotland.gov.uk.

Transport

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what performance targets it has set Transport Scotland.

Tavish Scott: The Minister for Transport is responsible for approving Transport Scotland’s annual business performance targets and measures as part of the Transport Scotland Annual Business Plan. A copy of the Annual Business Plan is available on Transport Scotland’s website at:

  www.transportscotland.gov.uk.

Transport

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met the senior management of Transport Scotland.

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many times it has met the senior management of Transport Scotland.

Tavish Scott: Transport Scotland staff are Scottish Executive staff. The senior management of Transport Scotland meets frequently with other Scottish Executive colleagues. As well as ad hoc meetings between officials, there is also Transport Scotland representation at a wide range of meetings.

Correction

The reply to question S2W-28363, which was originally answered on 26 September 2006, has been corrected: see page 8950 or http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/pqa/wa-06/wa1002.htm.